Love Letters
by Bchets
Summary: It would make sense that the two girls who have the most experience receiving love letters should be able to deal with writing their own... Right? EliUmi two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Love Letters**

Eli was always someone to look up to. She was talented, beautiful and reliable, and I would always look to her for guidance. Watching her ballet performance was inspiring and made me want to perform to my best ability whenever we had a concert.

I used to call her "Eli-senpai" before the third-years established that we should all refer to each other as if we were equals. Now I settle for simple "Eli". Despite this, whenever I think of Eli, I always think of her as my beautiful senpai that sets an example to follow.

That's why seeing her inexplicably flustered by the lockers was almost image-shattering. Her blonde hair was tied up in her usual ponytail, she was dressed in her school uniform with that green ribbon... It was definitely Eli. But the expression on her face was one I didn't know she could make.

She was currently looking at each of the lockers carefully, as if searching for something. In order to ask what she was doing, I took a step closer to her. My shoes made a sound on the floor, and Eli reacted to this.

"Ah! Oh, Umi... You surprised me." She turned to me and smiled as if everything was normal.

"What's going on?"

"O-oh... Nothing at all! Yep!" She looked away from me and back at the lockers. I sighed and walked up to my locker, which was in the same row as we were standing in. As I changed my shoes and looked back at Eli, I saw her watching me.

"Eli?"

"Yes?"

"You're staring..."

"Hmm? Are you sure you're not just imagining that?" As she said that, she got close to me and put her arm around me. Then she spoke in a low voice that sent chills down my spine. "Does Umi want me to stare at her?"

"N-no, that's not it!" As Eli giggled at my reaction, I turned away in embarrassment and released myself from her grasp.

Eli's teasing was another constant in our relationship. She knew that I was bad with physical contact and how to make me embarrassed. Eli knew that side of me very well, despite my desire to hide it away from everyone else. Because of this, Eli repeatedly teased me whenever we were together.

"Hey, Umi, do you want to walk with me to the station?"

"Sure." Despite her constant teasing, I wanted to spend time with Eli. I looked up to her and genuinely enjoyed her company. As we walked out of the school and onto the courtyard, I remembered that unfamiliar expression that she had on her face before. "So, what were you doing at the lockers?"

"Ah... It doesn't matter. Why, did you expect something special from me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm... Like a love letter?"

"Wha-" I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I thought about how shameless Eli was.

"Hehe, seems like I hit the bullseye."

"N-no you didn't! You're way off the mark!"

"Then why are you so red, Umi?" She leaned towards me while we were walking, shortening the distance between us and making me feel even more flustered.

"S-stop teasing me..." Eli giggled at that and backed away. As she relented and we returned to normal conversation, I couldn't help but wonder what Eli could be hiding from me. However, I knew she was just going to tease me if I asked again, so I strayed away from the topic. But that didn't appease my curiosity, so I spent time thinking about what it could be.

 _It is common for girls to get love letters in their locker... Eli has probably gotten many before... That's to be expected, though. She is beautiful and trustworthy. Anyone would be happy to be with her... Yet, what's this feeling in my chest?_

"Umi~" I snapped back to reality as Eli called my name in a singsong voice.

"H-huh? Oh, we're here." We were at the station. It was filled with many people, office workers and students alike, who were heading home for the day.

"Well, my train's this way!" Eli started walking and waved at me while she made her way through the crowd. My eyes followed her, noticing that something fell out of her bag. I went over to pick it up, but after doing so I couldn't see Eli anymore.

 _What is this... A letter?_

Thinking that it was important to Eli, I put it in my bag. Then I boarded the train that would take me home.

* * *

When I had gotten home and gone to my room to do homework, I pulled out the books from my bag, accidentally dragging the letter out. I examined it further, noticing there was no name on it. After even more inspection, I noticed that the corner had bent, leaving a visible crease.

 _Ah, did I ruin her letter? Hopefully not. I'll try to straighten it... What is this letter, anyway? Wait... Could this be... A love letter?!_

As I was thinking that, my phone started to vibrate on the table. I saw Eli's name pop up on the screen, so I answered the phone.

"Hello?"

 _"Ah, Umi... I uh... Dropped a letter while we were together. Have you seen it?"_

"Yeah, you dropped it at the train station. Don't worry, I picked it up."

 _"Oh, good! Whatever you do, make sure you don't open it, okay~"_

"Okay, I won't."

 _"Thanks! Well, see you tomorrow. Bring the letter!"_

"See you tomorrow." With that, Eli hung up, leaving me even more curious about the contents of the letter. I glanced at it, wanting to tear open the seal and pull out the single paper I had felt while holding the envelope. But as I picked it up, I remembered my promise to Eli, so I put the letter back in my bag so that it would be out of sight. Despite it being put away, the possible contents of the letter kept invading my thoughts, distracting me from homework and studying.

 _What if it really is a love letter? Then who would it be to?_

As I was thinking that, a sudden feeling emerged in my chest, making it hard for me to breathe normally. It was like something was squeezing my chest, making it tighter.

 _What is this? Could it be… Because Eli is one of my senpais whom I cherish so much? But I don't feel the same way when I think of Nozomi or Nico… Is it because Eli and I are so similar? Is it the surprise that one of my role models has an admirer? Or could Eli be the writer... Maybe I just need to lie down and stop thinking about this…_

Although I tried to rest, the thoughts of the letter continued to distract me, rendering me restless. Eventually, after telling myself many times that the letter didn't concern me, I was able to do things normally without getting sidetracked. When I grew tired of studying I got ready for bed and laid down, making a mental note to ask Eli about the letter the next day.

* * *

The next day, I walked to school with Honoka and Kotori as usual. As we neared the school gates, I could see Eli leaning on the wall in waiting. As we came even closer, Eli looked at us and started to walk towards us. Honoka saw that and spoke up.

"Hi, Eli-chan!"

"Good morning all of you. I hope you don't mind if I borrow Umi for a second."

"No, not at all. See you later, Umi-chan." Eli pulled me over to the side and spoke to me.

"So, did you bring the letter?" I nodded and handed her the letter, noticing that the crease I had left on the envelope was still visible. "Thanks! Well, I'll see you after school." As she started to walk towards school, I grabbed her uniform's sleeve in order to stop her. "Umi? What is it?"

"What is that letter exactly?" Eli's face changed back to that flustered expression that I found so out of character.

"D-did you read it?"

"No... Is it a love letter?" To that she stayed silent and looked upward at the sky. As her smile grew wider, she looked back to me and spoke.

"I wonder if it is... Wouldn't you like to know, Umi?"

"I-I would..."

"Well... Too bad!" Eli stuck her tongue out at me and placed the letter in her bag. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

 _Why did I want to know? Why was it bugging me so much yesterday?_

As I was thinking that, Eli had closed the distance between us and had her face next to mine.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"Hehe, you're so cute when you get flustered."

"W-wha..." Despite my embarrassment, I found resolve to ask once more. "I-is it a love letter or not?" Eli seemed a bit surprised that I repeated the question, blinking at me as if she doubted what she heard. After she collected herself, she gave in and answered my question.

"Y-yes… It is."

 _What? Then Eli… is in love with someone? Why does that make it hard for me to breathe?_

I felt dazed after hearing her say that, so I don't remember exactly what happened next. Before I knew it, we had said goodbye and I was in the classroom, sitting next to Honoka and Kotori.

"Umi-chan!"

"H-huh?"

"Is everything alright, Umi-chan? Honoka-chan's been calling you for a while now…"

"Did something happen, Umi-chan?"

"N-no…" Honoka and Kotori continued to question me, but I wasn't able to say anything to appease them. Eventually, once class started, they stopped asking, but I still felt that emotion.

 _How could I possibly explain this feeling? I don't think I've ever written about anything like this…_

* * *

After school ended with the ringing of the bell I walked down to my locker as usual, expecting to see Eli there. However, she was no where to be found. Feeling a bit disappointed, I walked up to my locker and opened it. There was an envelope laying next to my shoes.

 _Another love letter? Well, I haven't gotten one in a while... Wait, this-_

As I held it up, I noticed a familiar crease at the corner of the envelope. My heart pounded as I opened up the letter. It read like this:

 _Dear Sonoda Umi,  
_ _I have always been an admirer of yours.  
_ _You can seem so cool and chivalrous, but you even have your unbelievably cute side.  
_ _Whenever I see you around the school, you brighten up my day.  
_ _I wish I could tell you this to your face, but for right now, I'll settle for this short letter.  
_ _I love you, Sonoda Umi.  
_ _Sincerely,  
Your Secret Admirer_

It had been like so many letters before, except my heart was racing and my mind was tuning everything out except the words on the page. I felt like I was floating a few inches above the ground.

 _Is it because Eli wrote it? Then this feeling... Could it be lo-_

"Umi?" My heart leapt out of my chest as I heard Eli's voice. I couldn't bear looking at her after what I had just felt, so I continued staring at the letter while talking to her.

"W-w-what is it, Eli?"

"Ooh, is that a love letter? From who?"

"A secret admirer..."

"Oh really? Are you going to respond?" I turned to Eli after she said that. She had a small grin on her face, leading me to think that she wasn't very shocked by the letter.

 _So it really was Eli... Then why is she acting like she's innocent? Is this all just to tease me? But she even said she loved me... If it really is just teasing, then why do I feel like this? Well, in any case..._

"Yes, I am going to respond. And I already know what I'm going to write." As I said that, I saw Eli's grin turn into a confused face.

"H-huh?"

* * *

 **Hey everyone. Thanks for reading! Anyway, this is part one of a EliUmi two-shot. The next part will be from Eli's POV. I feel like a lot of the EliUmi stuff I see (doujins & manga) skirt around the topic of love letters, but none of them actually talk about them giving letters to each other... So I wrote this. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Bchets**


	2. Chapter 2

**Love Letters**

Umi had always been an inspiring person to be around. The way she led others without pushing them too hard, and her mastery over words (that usually ended up producing cute lyrics~) were things I admired in Umi.

Everyone, even people outside of μ's knew about the Umi that was always cool around others. Seeing that side of Umi could make anyone fall for her. But, in addition to the chivalrous Umi that could make my heart swoon, she also had this unexpected cute side to her.

She only showed her cute, innocent self when she was flustered. Because of this, I teased her whenever I was with her. At first I didn't understand why Nico always teased Maki, but I realized after relentlessly teasing Umi. Seeing a side of Umi that most people never had the opportunity to see... It made my heart race even faster when I was with her.

But when she responded to my teasing with a serious, cool answer, I was stunned.

"H-huh?"

"I have a guess about who wrote this... And I might feel the same way." Umi's flustered expression seemed different. I could sense happiness in her embarrassment, and that made my heart sink for some reason.

 _There's no way she could know I did it... She didn't open the letter... Then who could she think it is?_

As the faces of other μ's members came to mind, Umi smiled at me.

"I have archery practice right now. So, I'll see you tomorrow, Eli?"

"Y-yeah." I watched Umi's back as she walked away and didn't turn back. After a few minutes I left to the train station alone.

 _Kotori? Maybe Maki? Or is it Honoka? Who could it be? Am I missing something?_

Those thoughts filled my head as I boarded the train and rode towards home. I almost missed my stop because I was so distracted, but I made it home after what had seemed like an eternity.

* * *

"Welcome home, Onee-chan!" As Arisa greeted me I sloppily slipped off my shoes and dropped them on the floor. Arisa must have noticed my mood, because she walked towards me with a worried look on her face. "D-did something happen?"

"Hi, Arisa. I guess something did happen... You see, I was teasing Umi..." After explaining to my younger sister the events that had transpired over the past two days, she looked at me in amazement.

"Harasho, Onee-chan..."

"I know right? What should I do? Should I tell her that I wrote it? But that would be a bit embarrassing..." Arisa's expression turned into a confused one as she tilted her head slightly.

"Huh? I was just amazed at how dense you are. What happened to cute and clever Elichika?"

"What was that?!" I raised my arms like Nozomi does before groping her prey and proceeded to tickle Arisa. "What did you say?"

"Ah- Onee-chan! Sto-" She doubled over in laughter and collapsed onto the floor while trying to escape me. I continued my assault until she was out of breath from laughing so much.

"Should I be worried, Arisa?" She sat on the floor and thought about that for a little.

"You should trust Umi-senpai, Onee-chan."

"Hmm? Trust?"

"Hehe, don't worry about it!" Arisa giggled and stood up, getting off of the floor. She moved to the couch while I started to walk to my room. "I'm sure Umi-senpai feels the same."

"Hmm? But I'm just teasing her."

"Is that so... Well, I'm sure you can figure it out, 'cute, clever Elichika.'"

"Hmmmmm? Do you want me to come back over there and tickle you?"

"N-no thanks!" After that I walked into my room and started to study, unsuccessfully trying to rid my thoughts of Umi.

 _"I'm sure Umi feels the same." What did Arisa mean by that? That Umi likes being teased? What is she, a masochist?!_

And after a long day of struggling to study while juggling thoughts of Umi and of my teasing love letter, I laid down in the hopes that I would sleep peacefully.

* * *

I woke up feeling groggy and didn't want to go to school. But the thought of Umi made me rise out of bed and get ready quickly so that I could greet her at the school gates and tease her. And so I could ask her about what she had said the previous day.

Upon arrival, I stood at the gate of the school. Within a few minutes, I saw Umi walking with Honoka and Kotori, as usual.

 _I wonder if one of them knows who Umi is in love with... But what if it's one of them?_ _Doesn't Honoka seem a bit too close?!_

Appalled at the thought I just had, I shook my head to rid myself of it.

"Eli? Is everything alright?" I turned and saw piercing amber eyes.

"Umi! Yeah... I'm fine." Umi looked at me with worry, but I nodded and smiled to reassure her. "Anyway, what did you mean yesterday?"

"Hmm?"

"A-about the love letter."

"Well... I don't really understand l-lo..." Umi took a deep breath before continuing. "Love, but-" The bell loudly rang, causing Umi to turn towards the school. "Ah, we should go."

"Wait, Umi!" I reached out towards her, but she moved away in a hurry.

"We'll continue this after school!" I watched her blue hair sway as she quickly walked inside the school, and I followed her a few minutes later.

* * *

After class had ended, I hurriedly went to my locker to put on my shoes so that I could meet Umi. Inside my locker was an envelope.

 _Another one, huh? I'll read it at home._

I stuffed the letter into my bag and walked over to Umi's locker. I saw her standing there, her long hair draping downwards as she put on her shoes. Umi looked up before I could surprise her.

"Hi, Eli! W-what's up?"

"Hi... I just wanted to continue our conversation from earlier..."

"D-d-did you... Read it?" Umi was wearing that embarrassed expression I loved to see, but I didn't understand why.

"Read what?" Umi stared at me with confusion and looked downwards. Then, as if she confirmed something, Umi turned back to me with a hurt expression.

"Do you not even care about how other people feel?!" Umi rarely had tears in her eyes, so seeing her on the verge of crying was a bit of a shock to me. Before I could respond, Umi ran away from me, headed outside the school. I tried to follow her, but I lost her as she turned the corner.

 _What was that about? I don't even care about other people's... Feelings... The letter? But, how did Umi know-_

Suddenly everything clicked, and I scrambled to open my bag and tore open the envelope. Written on it, in beautiful handwriting, was:

 _Eli Ayase,_

 _The feeling of love, I cannot say I understand it. But, after reading your letter, I may have caught a glimpse of that mysterious emotion. So, I've decided to tell you that I think I feel that way for you. Perhaps you were just teasing me, in which case nothing should change. But on the off chance that you feel the same, please tell me. And maybe you could help me find what love truly is._

 _Umi Sonoda_

With my heart pounding and heat rising to my face, I made up my mind to search for the bluenette.

* * *

After repeatedly calling Umi and searching around the neighborhood, I saw Umi sitting at the playground where we had talked before. Seeing her on those swings wasn't a new sight, but seeing her hunched over, clutching her skirt like that... I couldn't stand it.

"Umi..." She looked up at me, then turned away immediately.

"I get it, Eli. You've probably received countless love letters before… But, that doesn't mean mine meant any less!" I approached Umi to comfort her, but she got up from the swings and stood further away from me. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

 _Ah, I understand now._

I walked up behind Umi and embraced her from behind. Umi flinched and tried to push me away. Instead of letting go, I held on tighter.

"What are you doing? Just go…" I placed my head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Umi… I read your letter." She stopped struggling, so I turned her towards me. Her cheeks were red and she didn't make eye contact with me, but I could see the frown she was making. "You know how I always tease you? Especially about love… Yet, I think we're in the same boat."

"… What do you mean?"

"Truthfully, I don't really understand love, either!" Umi looked at me in confusion, then started to giggle.

"Then why do you tease me about it?!"

"I just think you're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"W-wha-"

"Umi... I think I love you, too." Umi didn't react for a while, but then she raised her arms from her sides and hugged me back.

"T-t-then… Show me…" Umi looked up at me, then closed her eyes.

 _Ah, this is too perfect…_

I leaned in towards her face, pressing my nose against hers. She tensed up a little, then I placed a finger on her lips and whispered.

"Chu~" Umi's cheeks were as red as a tomato, but I failed to stifle a laugh, so she opened her eyes. After backing away, she pouted at me.

"What was that?!"

"Hehe, you really are cute when I tease you." While I laughed, Umi suddenly pulled me back towards her. "Ah, Umi what are you mmph-"

Umi's lips were on mine, and my eyes were open in shock. Her tongue invaded my mouth causing my knees to feel weak. I eventually gave in to the kiss, matching her movements. When we synchronized I felt bliss take control of my senses, overshadowing the passage of time and our surroundings. The only things on my mind were Umi and her lips. After a while, she separated from me.

"I-I'm sorry, Eli... That was a bit shameless of me." After hearing that, I smiled at the bluenette and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"I love shameless Umi."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Ooh, I updated that super boring summary. I think it's better now.**

 **So, does anyone else think that Arisa acts like this when she's alone with Eli? Cuz I like that kind of sisterly dynamic.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Hope you thought it was worth it.**

 **Bchets**


End file.
